K-Pop Beyond The Charts: Teengirl Fantasy Team Up With Hoody On The Futuristically Sexy 'U Touch Me'

By John Chiaverina | January 07, 2015 05:57 PM EST

K-Pop Beyond The Charts is an occasional review column highlighting Korea's modern day musical innovators who have yet to find mainstream success.

American electronica duo Teengirl Fantasy teamed up with Seoul native Hoody for "U Touch Me," the newest single off of the group's recent "Thermal" EP, released on American label Break World Records in November.

"U Touch Me" is a forward-thinking R&B slow burner that sounds at once sultry and futuristic, the result of an exciting cross-genre melding of styles and traditions.

Teengirl Fantasy are an electronica duo formed in 2008 by Nick Weiss and Logan Takahashi when the two were undergrads at Oberlin University in Oberlin, Ohio. Since then, they have released multiple full-lengths and EPs for acclaimed labels like True Panther, Merok and R & S.

Hoody is an R&B singer and producer who debuted in 2013 with the single "My Ride." She is a member of Amourette (AMRT), an all-female crew of singers and producers based in South Korea.

The inventive production on "U Touch Me" points to the futurism inherent in many of iconic American producer Timbaland's classic 1990s R&B productions. When crossed with Teengirl Fantasy's extensive experience crafting cutting-edge electronica, the end product is a track that merges styles into a futuristic whole.

Sung in both Korean and English, Hoody's understated lead vocal recalls iconic R&B vocalists like Aaliyah and Ciara, but with a contemporary Korean twist. Like those great performers before her, there is an almost mysterious feel to her vocals that is alluring.

This mystery is only heightened by Teengirl Fantasy's production style, which borrows from genres as wide-reaching as 90's IDM and contemporary urban.Teengirl Fantasy have a deft way of merging the atmospheric with the rhythmic and in the process, uniting disparate tropes into a singular statement.

Throughout the song, Hoody's distorted vocal runs add an ornamental flair to her lead vocal performance. These vamps almost take on the textural quality of a mutated electric guitar, adding a crucial layer to an already rich track.

The ecstatic music video that accompanies "U Touch Me" sees Hoody transported into a futuristic aqua-tinted wonderland, intercut with scrolling LEDs and lustrous luxury cars. It is a landscape that perfectly compliments the sonics of the single, both sleek and sultry at once.

The combination of two forces that are both well-regarded within their respective scenes is a good sign not just for K-pop, but for music globally. Let's hope more exciting cross-genre collaborations happen within K-pop in 2015, because if "U Touch Me" is any indication, the results can be electric.

Watch the video for by Teengirl Fantasy and Hoody's "U Touch Me" RIGHT HERE

John Chiaverina is a musician and journalist living in New York City. He has performed in over 18 countries, including two tours of South Korea, under the name "Juiceboxxx."